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Sergei Rachmaninoff
' Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff' (1 April 1873 – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music. Early influences of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and other Russian composers gave way to a personal style notable for its song-like melodicism, expressiveness and his use of rich orchestral colors. The piano is featured prominently in Rachmaninoff's compositional output, and through his own skills as a performer he explored the expressive possibilities of the instrument. Giveaway Clues # Composer of Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini. # Composer of The Isle of the Dead Tossup Questions # A D minor work by this composer sees the adagio F sharp minor second movement's transition to the the alla breve finale orchestrated attacca, or without pause, which followed a similar C minor piece, which sees an E flat major theme supplant the half step-filled piano arpeggios. A four-note "signature" ends both those piano concertos by this man, whose first opera sees the title character marry and then murder the gypsy Zemfira. This composer of Aleko collected Thirteen (*) Preludes, Ten Preludes, and Prelude in C-Sharp Minor into a group covering all twenty-four musical keys. This creator of the formidable Etudes Tableaux used 5/8 time to suggest the act of rowing in a piece inspired by a Bocklin painting, his Isle of the Dead. His characteristic widely-spaced chords are evident in his setting of Poe's The Bells, while his most famous work consists of mostly A minor variations on another man's Caprice No. 24. For 10 points, name this Russian composer of Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini.. # One of this composer's piano pieces is a sixty two-bar long opening to his Morceaux de Fantaisie. This composer set orthodox hymns in his All-Night Vigil, and he based another work on a Konstantin Balmont translation. He also composed a tone poem that opens by musically symbolizing the rowing of oars and later incorporates the Dies Irae to depict Charon; that work was inspired by an Arnold Bocklin painting. This composer of the Prelude in C Sharp Minor, The Bells, and The Isle of the Dead also wrote a piece that is based on the twenty-fourth caprice of a namesake Italian violin virtuoso. For 10 points, name this Russian composer of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. # The three left hand fortissimo chords A, G#, and C# open this composer's "Prelude in C sharp minor". One of his orchestral works based on gypsy themes ends in a loud E major chord, and alongside Caprice Bohemien, he wrote a suite with movements marked "Non allegro" and "Andante con moto" which uses a three-note motif and features alto saxophone near the beginning. Another work by this composer of the Symphonic Dances begins with four quick notes in A minor followed by E and F notes and contains 24 variations on the title melody. For 10 points, identify this Russian composer of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. # This composer reused a triplet motif from his Romance for Piano for Six Hands in the second movement of a work by him, which begins with piano chords and low Fs that resemble the tolling of (*) bells. Another work by this composer is based on a painting by Arnold Bocklin and uses the Dies Irae theme. This composer wrote variations on a violin caprice in his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. For 10 points, name this Russian Romantic composer of The Isle of the Dead.